


tears that fall before the light

by Kiatulips



Category: Corpse Party (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Blood, Flashbacks, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:13:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26398471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiatulips/pseuds/Kiatulips
Summary: After escaping from Heavenly Host, life for Seiko and Mayu is very different.Mayu is transferring to a new school, except along with the sadness of leaving Kisaragi she's also haunted by the memories that Heavenly Host gave her.Seiko is stuck at Kisaragi, forced to adapt to having none of her friends around her in class 2-9, when not too long ago they were all here.But at least they can lean on one another for support. Well, as well as two survivors who go to different schools can, anyway.
Relationships: Suzumoto Mayu & Shinohara Seiko
Comments: 7
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

"Suzume-chan!" 

Mayu felt her eyes slowly pull themselves open at the sound of a voice that tore into her mind. Almost immediately she felt pain flowing throughout her body as soon as she awoken. She felt like she had put herself through the wringer, every part of her screaming that she's tired and there's no way she could move another inch. 

There was a throbbing pain in the back of her head, too, and on instinct Mayu reached around to place a hand where it hurt. That was a mistake, she quickly sucked in air through her teeth as the pain only seemed to increase at the touch. 

Mayu wanted to stay where she was. Just allow herself to let the ground claim her, maybe it would grant her healing abilities if she laid here long enough. 

Still, this voice that roused her awake spoke with urgency, a tinge of worry to it. As if they would start sobbing if she didn't make a movement of some kind. So she had to get up, she didn't want to worry anyone after all, even if laying down here for a while sounded very nice right about now. 

"Mm.." Mayu rubbed at her eyes in an attempt to shoo the exhaustion away. She looked around, trying to get her bearings. As she did so, her eyes landed on a very familiar face that also had a very familiar voice. 

"Suzume-chan! Are you okay?!" Seiko asked-- well, more like cried. Tears were welling up in her brown eyes and spilling over, some landing on Mayu as the girl was quite close to her face. 

"Shinohara-san..?" Mayu mumbled the name as she groggily pushed herself up, rubbing at her eyes once again as she did so. "Where are we? What happened..?" 

With the sight of her friend, came the knowledge that they had done something of significance together. But the past few hours were fuzzy for Mayu. She tried to reach out to her own memories in an effort to recall what had taken place, because *something* happened and she knows that, but she was drawing a blank. It's as if her own memories were as tired as her. 

A look of surprise flashed across Seiko's face, but she then pressed her lips into a line and seemed to be preparing herself, as a few stray tears rolled down her cheeks. "Ah, well..Sachiko--" 

Sachiko. 

That name was familiar. A red dress was shoved into her mind at the mere mention of it, Mayu could even see the girl's sea of black hair that did well to hide her face, her innocent-looking black eyes that peeked out from behind her veil of hair pretty much burned into her mind, as if she was still here staring at them.

There was no way one could just forget about Sachiko after all. 

But..

_What happened..?_ Mayu could only ask herself that one question. She could remember little bits and pieces, tiny little fragments of memories. 

She could remember the cultural festival-- her class, class 2-9, had hosted a red bean soup restaurant, Mayu had even sewn the kimonos they had worn-- and then they had even been the most popular classroom out of the whole festival. 

After that, they were supposed to have been cleaning up, but somehow they had wound up listening to a ghost story from Ayumi instead.

Then..there was the Sachiko Ever After charm, Ayumi had said it would keep all of them together forever. It was supposed to be their promise that they would hang out again. 

However, next thing Mayu knew the floor had opened up underneath them, plunging them all down into the darkness. 

And she had woken up inside an old building that was definitely not Kisaragi Academy. 

Except..Mayu was back now. As well as Seiko. 

And..it was just the two of them.

Mayu felt herself stiffen, felt herself become more awake and aware. Her eyes shot around the room, but all she saw were desks, the chalkboard, and the cabinet in the corner who's shelves contained Ms. Yui's cans of cat food. None of the others were in sight.

"Where is everyone?!" Mayu felt the tears forming and her voice wavered. A part of her whispered the answer to her question, but she still had to ask. "Shinozaki-san, Nakashima-san, Mochida-kun, Yuka-chan, Kishinuma-kun, Ms. Yui?" She took a shaky breath. "Shige-nii?" 

A grim look overtook Seiko's face and she quickly pulled Mayu into a hug, her grip tight. Mayu can feel Seiko shaking, the girl's tears coming back at full force. "They didn't make it." The girl managed to say amidst her sobs. 

Tears started to fall from Mayu's own eyes as she returned Seiko's hug, holding onto her just as tight. 

"No.." The words tumbled from Mayu's mouth, coming out in more of a whisper. "Please..tell me that's a lie.." She pleads with her remaining friend. 

But Mayu knew that this wasn't a lie, nor was it a cruel joke. 

Even if she couldn't see the whole picture as parts of the picture were blurry right now, Mayu could see enough of it to know that she wasn't going to be seeing her friends again. And not because she's transferring. 

The small bits of a memory surfaced, and she could see the class rep's bloody uniform, and she already wished she could drown this memory. 

_"Shinozaki-san!" Mayu could hear herself scream._

_"Suzumoto-san..hurry up and run!" The spirits laughed as Ayumi's face twisted into one of pain, yet she still kept her blue eyes carefully trained on Mayu. "It's..it's my fault you're here, so just let me do this for you!"_

_The spirits were getting closer. "No, don't blame yourself like that! It's--It's not your fault! You were just doing something nice for me!" Mayu couldn't bring herself to move towards the class rep, as much as she wanted to, her legs were practically frozen._

_"Ugh!" The scissors were driven farther into the girl's stomach. The spirits laughed harder. Mayu felt sick. "Suzumoto-san, I-I..I said: run!! Get out of here, dammit!"_

_Ayumi yelled every word._

_Suddenly Mayu could move again._

Mayu grabbed a fistful of Seiko's uniform and buried her head into her shoulder. "Why?" She asked quietly, as if Seiko had all the answers. 

Her fellow survivor didn't answer, but just held onto her. 

The two of them stayed there like for a while, the sounds of the night creeping in. 

Eventually Seiko broke away from the hug, offering the smallest of smiles on her face as she stood up. "I..should get going. My siblings must be wondering where I am and I don't even know if they've had dinner yet.." 

Considering the clock on the wall said it was almost past eight now, Mayu couldn't help but wonder if her parents were worried about her. Surely they had to be..right? 

Mayu stood up as well, sniffling a little and doing her best to give a small smile back. "Okay, I better get going too..um, say hi to Yuu for me?" 

The brown-haired girl forced out a giggle. "You bet! Though knowing him he's probably already asleep by now." 

Mayu giggled too, though it didn't take away the sadness that was suffocating her heart.  
Seiko then crossed the room, heading towards the door with Mayu following close behind her. However, something caught the costume designer's eye and she stopped. 

Something was written on the little board that was hung up close to the door.

Mayu started to read, unable to stop herself. Written were the words: 

_We're collecting to buy a bouquet of flowers for our dear friend Suzume, who will be leaving us for a new school after the festival, 300 yen per person._

The tears were returning once more. Mayu put a shaking hand over her mouth, shutting her eyes so she didn't have to see the words anymore. 

She remembered. She remembered Ayumi presenting the bouquet of flowers to her with a grin, all of her classmates around her having similar expressions of happiness. 

"Here, Suzumoto-san! This is for you!" The class rep had said.

Mayu pressed her hand harder against her mouth, as if that would keep her emotions at bay. 

"Suzume-chan? Suzume-chan!" When Mayu opened her eyes, she found Seiko standing in front of her, with her hands wrapped around Mayu's wrists. Her body blocked the board, blocked the words Ayumi wrote. "Hey, it's okay. You're okay." 

Mayu slowly breathed. In, out. In, out. 

Seiko watched, concern evident in her eyes.

"I..I don't think I am, Shinohara-san." 

Seiko's eyes left Mayu's face, opting to focus on the floor instead. "That's okay, I'm..I'm not either. I mean, Naomi, Kishinuma-kun, I.." She sounded like she was going to cry again. Mayu couldn't blame her. "..I saw, you know? Dammit, I could've..done something!" 

Seiko hid her face in her hands, shoulders shaking with her crying that had started up anew. 

Mayu felt the sadness tearing through her own body. "I..I did too." She admitted. Whether Seiko heard she didn't know, but she wrapped her up in a hug and didn't dare let go. 

The sounds from outside that could faintly be heard played a quiet chorus, slithering into the still and unmoving classroom.

Seiko's sobs were quieting down until they eventually were reduced to little sniffles. Mayu gave a small smile as she stepped back. "Are you ready to head home?" She asked, voice gentle. 

Seiko wiped at her eyes, her mouth pulling up into a smile. "Yeah. Let's get out of here." 

Together, the two walked out of the classroom and were met with a dark hallway that rivaled the ones in Heavenly Host. Mayu quickly grabbed onto Seiko's arm. 

"I didn't think the school would be this creepy at night.." She whispered. 

"Hope no one stayed behind." Seiko said as she took a quick look around. "It'd be kinda awkward having to explain why we're here so late." 

With that being said, the two soon fell into silence as they walked through the dark corridors of Kisaragi. It was eerily quiet, a big difference from the usual loud chatter that filled the halls and classrooms. 

As the sound of their footsteps echoed throughout the school, Mayu looked over at Seiko, who appeared to have slipped into deep thought. 

"What are you thinking about?" She asked, her voice coming out almost like a whisper, but it seemed fitting given how quiet everything was. 

"Oh, well.." Seiko scratched at her head awkwardly. "Just..something Kishinuma-kun said." 

"Kishinuma-kun?" A heaviness weighed on her at the mention of the blonde. 

Seiko nodded. "Yeah. Remember when that earthquake separated us? You were with the class rep and I was with Kishinuma-kun." 

That pulled at a memory, but Mayu held it underwater before it surfaced too much. 

"Well," Seiko continued. "We kinda..started talking about personal stuff, and..family." 

Mayu noticed the paper doll scrap that Seiko was fiddling with in her hand. 

"And, well..hehe, guess we had more in common than I thought." Seiko then sighed and shook her head, painting a smile onto her face. "Oh well, there's no use dwelling on things you can't change. You can only look forward! Right, Suzume-chan?" 

Mayu blinked. "..Oh! Um, yeah.." 

_She's really trying to hold it together.._ Mayu just hoped Seiko wasn't going to try and completely bury how she feels.

"After all, I've got a hairdresser's appointment tomorrow morning! And.." Seiko trailed off, her expression souring. "And.." Another sigh. "Ah..this must've been how Naomi felt.."

Mayu's eyes filled with concern. She looked over at Seiko again. She..looks a lot different than from what Mayu is used to. She has this sort of sad air around her. "What do you mean?" 

Seiko is quiet for a moment, just silently walking. When she speaks again, Mayu can hear a melancholy tone attached to her voice.  
"It's just..after Naomi was attacked by this creepy ghost thingy in the infirmary, she started saying all these things..I think she had given up. I had wanted to keep her happy, keep giving her hope that we would both make it out..but.." 

Seiko smiles. It doesn't reach her eyes. "I can understand now, how she felt." 

Mayu didn't know what to say. She frantically searched her brain for words that could work here, but she found nothing. 

Instead, Mayu placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. She bit her lip a little in hopes it would keep her own sadness from leaking out. "I'm so sorry, Shinohara-san." 

With a smile remaining on Seiko's face, she placed her hand over Mayu's. "You don't have to worry about me, Suzume-chan. I'm a tough cookie, you know!" 

Mayu knows that. She knew that for the longest time, but she felt like she had experienced just how tough Seiko is when they were in Heavenly Host. 

Still, the girl couldn't help but worry. She's transferring to another school tomorrow and won't be able to be there for Seiko, except for maybe over the phone. But that just didn't feel like enough.

Will Seiko be okay without her? There's no one else alive to be there for her at Kisaragi. If Ayumi, or Yoshiki, or even Morishige were here..maybe Mayu wouldn't feel so overwhelmed with worry. But she's the only one left, the only still standing with a beating heart. 

_Why do I have to transfer?_ Mayu thought to herself. _Why does it have to be now?_

"Suzume-chan." The sound of Seiko's voice plucked Mayu away from her storm of thoughts. "I promise you I will be okay! So don't worry too much, got it?" 

Her emotions must have been written all over her face for Seiko to read. 

With just how much cheer Seiko had been evoking right now with her words and expressions, Mayu almost could believe her. Had she not have practically caught Seiko's earlier sadness in the palm of her hand, maybe she would have believed it all wholeheartedly.

She just..really didn't want to leave Seiko here by herself. She felt like she was leaving the poor girl to the wolves. 

"Shinohara-san, can you promise me you'll call me whenever you can, as often as you can?" Mayu asked. Her voice seemed to kind of echo with how empty the school was. "Since I'm transferring, I..would like to be able to keep in contact with you." 

Seiko didn't even hesitate. "Of course, silly! I was going to do that anyways!" She proceeded to lightly bump her shoulder into Mayu's. "Besides, like Naomi had said, when winter break comes around I'll make sure to visit you! Or who knows, maybe I'll come before then!" 

Hearing that made Mayu's heart warm up. A smile lit up on her face. "Thank you, Shinohara-san." 

_____________

"Well, guess this is where we part ways for now." Seiko announced when it became clear their houses were in different directions. "I'll be seeing you later then, Suzume-chan! Make sure you don't fall asleep at school tomorrow!" She added with her usual cat-like grin. 

Mayu laughed. "Wasn't it you who would always fall asleep in class? I remember Shinozaki-san would try and wake you up every time." 

Seiko playfully spun around, the moonlight shining down on her and making her look almost ethereal. "Maybe so, but with how late we're getting back I wouldn't be surprised if we both ended up sleeping through class tomorrow." 

"Oh, you're probably right! I hadn't thought of that! We should really hurry home then." Mayu took a few steps in the direction of her home before turning around to face Seiko. "I hope I see you soon!" 

Seiko put her hands behind her head, her bag dangling on her shoulder. "You will!" 

__________

The first place Mayu had went to when she got home was the kitchen. Dinner obviously had already happened, if the leftovers were anything to go by. 

Mayu ate more than she usually does, washing it all down with water when she was done. She hadn't realized just how hungry and thirsty she was, but maybe it shouldn't be such a surprise given she hadn't had access to any food or water at Heavenly Host. 

After that, she made a beeline straight for her room and collapsed onto her bed. She sunk into her sheets and sighed contentedly. Her bed had never felt so soft before. 

She stared up at her ceiling. If it was quiet at Kisaragi, it seemed to be even quieter at home. Mayu was more used to hearing her parents arguing than relishing in the small piece of silence. 

_I guess they must be asleep..it is pretty late._

Mayu rolled over and covered her eyes with her arms, laying them across her face. "Shinozaki-san..I wish you were here." She quietly said to the silent house. 

Mayu then immediately sat up and grabbed her cellphone, flipping it open and quickly going through her contacts until she reached the one she was looking for: Ayumi Shinozaki. 

Her thumbs moved quickly, typing out a new message with blind hope surging through her. 

_Shinozaki-san, I think I feel lost._ She typed out. _I don't know what to do. I don't want to transfer. I hadn't fought against it before because it was for my dad's work, but now I feel like if I go to a new school then I'll never see Shinohara-san again._

Her thumbs slowed ever so slightly. _Just like I'll never see you again._

Mayu stared at the message. It's like typing it out confirmed Ayumi's fate to be real, confirmed that her eyes hadn't been fooling her when she saw Ayumi's blood had stained the school's floors. 

She stared at the message for a while longer. Her thumb then started to smash the delete button, the words quickly disappearing as if they never existed. 

"There's no way you'll get this.." Mayu muttered. "Shige-nii probably would have thought I was childish for even trying." 

With a small yawn, Mayu placed her phone down on her bedside table. Exhaustion was tugging at her, silently coaxing her eyes into shutting themselves. She could think about all this some other day. 

She wrapped herself into her blanket, allowing the warmth to take over and letting her mind fall into a much needed sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

When morning came, getting out of bed proved to be an actual challenge to Seiko for once. 

Most mornings, Seiko would usually jump out of bed the moment her eyes opened and have already thrown on her uniform without yawning even once. But this morning, the sun is already beginning to shine through her window yet her tiredness is holding her down. Seiko just can’t find it within her to get up. 

By now, she should have already gotten her siblings out of bed and be on her way to making breakfast. Yet the thought of doing all that just made Seiko want to drift off back to sleep. It was actually hard to believe, looking back, that she had really done all this every morning.

_Maybe..dad could make breakfast, just this once.._

That thought didn’t stay for too long. It crossed her mind for a few seconds before quickly being buried by others. Seiko drowsily sat up in bed, glancing over at her uniform that was laid out and waiting for her. She rubbed her eyes and sighed before pushing her blanket away and letting her feet touch the cold floor. She could feel the light in her brain clicking on, making her more awake as seconds passed. 

_What am I thinking..? Dad works the late shift, he’s probably more tired than me! I can’t ask him to get up and make breakfast!_

She knew he was tired, when she had returned home last night she had found him asleep on the couch. It made her wonder if he had been waiting for her, he had never slept on the couch before.

So she’d feel guilty if she even asked him that question.

With that in mind, Seiko let out a small yawn as she got up and grabbed her uniform, hurriedly changing out of her pajamas and slipping on the familiar tan-colored outfit. A part of her was almost glad to now be up, movement was good. Because if she’s moving, Seiko doesn’t have to think, she doesn’t have to remember the events of that damn school that pop into her brain when she least expects it.

Her thoughts hadn’t been kind to her last night. They had been swarming around her as she laid in her bed, words left unsaid buzzing in her ear. She tried waving them away, but they always came flying back into her head just as she was dozing off. 

Before, she would have called one of her friends. Out of the seven of them, there was always at least one bound to be awake at the same time as her. Maybe Ayumi would have been working on an illustration of some kind, or Naomi would be browsing the internet for piano-related things. Or if everyone were asleep, she’d call Yoshiki because she just knows he’s up late listening to music or something. 

But now everyone she knew is dead and two of those deaths she had witnessed. Plus Mayu’s transferring and she didn’t want to call her so late at night, the girl could use some sleep after everything they had gone through. Still, Seiko misses the phone calls, especially the ones she had with Naomi. It was nice hearing her voice, listening to her talk. 

She isn’t here anymore though. 

_Move._ Seiko reminds herself. She has to move before she jumps down a rabbit hole of thoughts and can’t climb back out.

So she got to work on her hair. She grabbed a comb and ran it through her brown hair, styling it the way she usually does. As she worked, Seiko found her eyes travelling down to her neck. She remembered there used to be some kind of bruise there, one that wrapped all the way around her neck. Seiko paused for a moment, bringing her hand up to touch where it had been. She didn’t know exactly when it had faded away, but she could only wonder what caused it. 

“I guess it must’ve been from when we were setting up for the culture festival..” She mumbled to herself. “Well, at least it went away. Don’t need Yuu seeing that and getting all worried..” 

After finishing up with her hair and getting her teeth brushed, Seiko was ready to move onto the next step: getting her siblings up. 

First she poked her head into Yuu’s room, where the boy laid sprawled out on his bed, his blanket seeming to be in the process of pulling him under into a warm abyss. 

“Yuu?” Seiko approached his bed and gently shook him. “It’s morning, time to get up you sleepyhead!” 

Yuu simply rolled over in response, mumbling something Seiko couldn’t quite make out. 

The older girl grinned. “Well, if you wanna be that way..” With no hesitation, she began to mercilessly tickle the kid. Yuu immediately sat up, doing his best to slap away his sister’s hands as he laughed. 

“Sis, hey, cut that out! Ahahaha, jeez--! I’m up, I’m up!” 

Once Seiko ceased her relentless tickling attacks, Yuu pushed his blanket off and got out of bed with a yawn. 

Seiko smiled and turned to leave his room. “I’ll go wake up Kei and Aya. Focus on getting dressed, okay?”

“Wait!” 

Seiko stopped. She turned back to face Yuu, even though she already knew what was coming. 

Yuu always wanted to take on more responsibilities, even more than the ones Seiko had already given him, which really wasn’t much. He only had to focus on a few things-- take care of Kei and Aya when she wasn’t around to do so and to do his best in school. That was it.

But this wasn’t enough in Yuu’s eyes. Seiko could kind of understand, sometimes she felt like she wasn’t doing enough. Not for her siblings, for her dad. But Yuu didn’t need to worry about any of this. Seiko just wanted him to be a kid. He wasn’t even ten years old yet, she didn’t plan to dump her responsibilities onto him.

“Yuu, we’ve talked about this before, remember?” Seiko figured she could do this in a quick but gentle manner. Time was ticking away and she still hadn’t gotten to making breakfast. 

“Yeah, but..” Yuu frowned, crossing his arms. “I don’t get why you have to do everything around here.” 

Seiko pulled a grin onto her face. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about me! There’s nothing your big sis can’t handle, you know!” 

She walked over to her little brother, who really did seem so little at times. Yet here he was..worrying about big things. Seiko felt a painful tug at her heart just from the thought of it. She didn’t want Yuu to think too much about things, part of the fun of being a kid is you don’t have much to worry about. She just wanted him to have a carefree life while he can. 

Seiko laid her hand on his head, ruffling his hair. “You really don’t have to worry. Everything’s okay, I promise.” 

Yuu looked away, focusing more on the floor. “If you say so..” His eyes flicked back to her after a moment. “But you can rely on me too, sis. I’m not a little kid anymore.” 

Seiko moved her hand away from his head. “I know.” 

That was the sad part. Yuu really was growing up and at such a fast pace. It wouldn’t be long before he eventually could attend Kisaragi Junior High. Seiko almost wishes time could just stop for a second.

“How about this? You can help get Kei and Aya ready and when that’s done you can help me make breakfast. That way things can get done a lot quicker!” 

Yuu already helped get their younger siblings ready once in a while anyway, so Seiko knew she could trust him with that. Making breakfast was usually Seiko’s job though, and on rare occasions their father’s, but it wasn’t like they’d be making anything difficult so she figured Yuu could handle it. 

Yuu didn’t seem to even think twice, he just nodded. “I can do that!” 

“Great! I’ll go wake them up then, after that I’ll leave you to it.” 

With that decided, the two left Yuu’s room and headed down the hallway to where Aya and Kei’s shared bedroom was. 

Seiko approached getting the two up almost in the same way she did with Yuu, except they were a lot more sleepy than Yuu had been, which meant Seiko had to act more like a fool. She saw it as a good trick as any to waking these kids up, just act like one of the characters from their favorite stories she had read them, or that one character from their favorite tv show that Seiko doesn’t remember the name of but she remembered seeing big smiles on their faces anytime they were on screen. 

Yuu was amused enough from her antics. Out of the corner of her eye, she swore she saw a smile on his face, but it was wiped off his face the second she turned around. 

“Don’t you have things to do, sis?” Yuu reminded her from his place in the doorway. “I think I can handle things from here.” 

“Ah, you’re right!” Seiko stopped mid-way during her performance as a monster from one of those superhero shows, and began to move towards the door despite her younger siblings’ protests, giving Yuu a smile on her way out. “Come get me if you need anything!” 

Seiko heard a small “yeah, yeah” from Yuu, but her mind was moving too quickly for her to think of anything else to add. Her mind was pulling up a list of her siblings’ favorite food, she’d make whatever it is they like as long as it was fast and easy. 

As she entered the kitchen, her mind reached a decision: Eggs and bacon with a side of rice. Eggs are a good source of protein and Seiko was pretty sure bacon is nutritious, plus it tastes good. Aya was sure to enjoy the rice too. 

Having decided what to make, Seiko felt her brain moving into autopilot as she grabbed the frying pan. Sizzling hissed in her ear as she prepared breakfast, and soon the whole kitchen was engulfed in the good-smelling aroma that followed. 

Yuu soon entered, followed by their younger siblings who bounced into the room with excitement, having apparently completely shooken off their earlier drowsiness. Seiko acted as her motherly role, telling them to wash their hands before they settle down into their chairs. 

Seiko soon let Yuu take over with what remained to be made, which the boy readily accepted (of course Seiko had given him directions first, something he didn’t seem to want to sit through). She assigned herself to the job of setting the table, often either looking up from what she was doing to check if Yuu was doing okay, or doing impressions of tv show characters for Aya and Kei to get some more laughs out of them. 

When the final piece of silverware had been set down Yuu had announced he was finished, and with that breakfast was ready. 

Time spent with food and family all gathered at the table was something Seiko could cherish. It was precious. She enjoyed hearing Aya’s enthusiastic retellings of something that had happened at school the other day, and how Kei chimed in and somehow turned the conversation towards this video game that kids in his class had been talking about (and she noticed how Yuu’s eyes lit up at that). It was nice to hear all the chatter as they ate, it felt..peaceful, in a way. 

As Seiko scooped up some food into her spoon she figured, in this moment, she could at least pretend Naomi is out there somewhere having breakfast with her mom. Even though she knows the truth is a lot darker. 

The four eventually hear the sound of feet shuffling across the floor, and upon turning to look they see their dad standing there, looking like the very definition of tired. 

Seiko throws him a grin. “Morning, dad. Here!” 

She pushed a plate of food towards him, the man giving a small smile in response as he ran a hand through his messy-looking hair. “Thanks, kiddo. I appreciate it.” 

He sits down and wastes no time in digging into the food that had been set aside for him. The chatter effortlessly picks up once again, and for a time everything feels complete. 

Until Seiko peeks at the clock.

“Oh, crap! I gotta get going!” She shovels the remains of her breakfast into her mouth and grabs her bag, lunging for her shoes and hurriedly putting them on. 

“Have a good day!” She hears her dad say as she runs out the door. 

She’s so caught up in hoping she’ll make it on time that Seiko doesn’t realize which direction she’s going. She stops herself when she picks up on it. 

“Ah..that’s right.” Naomi isn’t here anymore, which means she doesn’t have to head to the place where they had met up every morning to go to school together. 

That had been part of Seiko’s routine though, it would be weird for her to just..not do it. It was practically part of the morning.

_I was going this way anyway..might as well see it through, right?_

She continued walking, doing her best to focus more on the way her bag sways with every step she takes, and how the birds are chirping to one another, and every once in a while a breeze flies by and rushes through her hair.

She really didn’t feel like getting tangled up in all her thoughts, especially not now. There may not be many people around right now, but a couple of girls have walked past her and if they witnessed her break down..it’d be a little embarrassing, even for Seiko.

Seiko decides to throw her attention elsewhere, looking up at the sky. Gray clouds are gathering, tainting the sky a depressing color. The girl frowns as not a single cloud parted way for the sun.

_It’s gonna rain again?_

She hoists her bag higher up onto her shoulder and picks up the pace in hopes she can get to Kisaragi before the first drop of rain hits. Seiko almost wishes she had caught what the weather channel had to say about what the day would look like, maybe then she could have grabbed an umbrella on her way out. 

_I bet Naomi would have an umbrella..there’s no way her mom would have let her go without one.._

Quickly, the thought melts away and falls down the drain as a single rain drop plops down onto her nose. 

“Aw, really?” Seiko groans as she begins to run, the rain beginning to plummet down onto the ground, only increasing as seconds go by. She holds her bag up over her head like an umbrella, hoping it could at least save her hair if not her uniform.

Luckily, Seiko knows Kisaragi isn’t too far away, and if she just keeps up this speed she’d be there in no time. This only proved to be true when, after some running, she could see Kisaragi Academy in the distance. 

_Almost there! If I just--_

“Wah!” Suddenly, before Seiko even realized it, she found herself tripping. She flailed her arms, trying her best to balance herself out, but to no avail. She felt herself beginning to fall forward and, as she fell, she could only wonder if today was on her side. 

But before she could hit the ground, arms wrapped themselves around her waist, saving her from the fate of scraping her knees and getting her uniform all dirty. She relaxed a little in the arms of this person, and in all honesty she half-expecting to see Naomi’s face when she turned around, ready to playfully scold Seiko for not being careful. 

However, this person wasn’t Naomi. In fact, she looked nothing like Naomi. Her hair was orange, and she wore her medium-length hair in two small pigtails tied with pink ribbons. She wore the same uniform as Seiko and her dark brown eyes regarded the other girl with playfulness. 

“Ahaha, hey, it’s a good thing I caught you! Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?” 

Seiko shook her head. “No, no, I’m fine!” 

Seiko looked at the girl for a moment. She doesn’t recall ever seeing this girl around school before. Is she new? Perhaps she’s a transfer student? 

Before Seiko could think about it any longer, a new voice entered the mix. “Miyu! We better get going, class is starting soon you know! And I really don't feel like standing out here in the rain!”

This other girl stood a bit away from the two, bag in one hand and her other hand on her hip. Her brow was raised at the two and she seemed ready to get going.

Miyu turned her head to her friend. “Okay, I’m coming!” She unwrapped her arms from around Seiko’s waist and waved goodbye with a smile. “See you later!” 

And so, the two left. Seiko was left wondering who exactly that was, surely she would have at least seen this Miyu girl in the halls before? Kisaragi wasn’t _that_ big, everyone’s at least seen each other once before. 

Students were starting to trickle in though, and a few were giving Seiko strange looks. She realized she couldn’t just stand here thinking all day. _Guess I should just get to class._

Seiko walked into school and changed out of her shoes, placing her other pair of shoes into her shoe locker. Her eyes glanced around a little, other students were doing the same as her, talking and giggling to one another as friends greeted each other and gossip soon surrounded her.

It was starting to settle in now-- what it was she had lost, and just how much it was. Right about now Naomi and her would have been knee-deep in conversation, talking about everything under the sun. By now, Seiko probably could have made some teasing remark about Mochida-kun and Naomi would have probably retaliated by elbowing her in the stomach, or maybe just later withhold the tasty part of her lunch that she knows Seiko likes because Naomi doesn’t forget, until Seiko gives somewhat of an apology and Naomi relents (she would have given her food anyway, they both know that). 

But she’s lost all of it, and Seiko is now only truly beginning to realize it. She takes in a breath, because crying at school wasn’t something she’s done in a long time and she didn’t plan to start again, and slowly she exhales. 

She begins to walk to class 2-9, trying not to focus on how everyone around her had _someone_ to talk to, had someone to laugh with. She slides open the classroom door, her eyes intently focused on the floor as she makes her way to her desk because she has this itching feeling that she doesn’t belong here and it won’t _stop_.

Seiko sits herself down in her seat, her eyes examining the classroom when they immediately stop in their tracks. About three seats up and to the left, it was that girl Miyu from earlier. A bunch of girls stand around her desk, all of them talking so happily, Miyu’s even laughing. 

_She wasn’t here before..I’ve never seen her in this class before! If she’s a transfer student, then why are those girls talking as if they know her? Or maybe she’s just getting to know them?_

Seiko couldn’t understand, she had to ask someone so she could wrap her head around this. She looked over at the desk that’s next to hers and leaned over to the boy who sat in it. She somewhat recognized him, she was pretty sure they were in the same class last year. 

“Hey, is that girl over there new?” She whispered, pointing at Miyu. 

The boy was quick to look at Seiko with confusion written all over his face. He even broke out in a grin. “You’re joking, right, Shinohara?” 

When it was obvious Seiko wasn’t joking around, the boy’s confusion still remained but he said what he knew anyway. “Miyu’s not new around here at all, she was pretty popular back in middle school and still is. Everyone knows her, especially the people who are part of clubs. She’s been good at any club she ever tried, especially the sports clubs.” He then gave a little laugh. “I’m surprised you don’t seem to know her, Shinohara, considering you both have the same last name. Are you related or something?” 

Seiko felt like she could fall out of her chair. “What? We aren’t--” 

Just then, a woman with white hair and blue eyes walked in and any words Seiko had wanted to say quickly came to a halt. A calm smile was present on the woman’s face as she addressed the class. 

“Good morning everyone, I hope you are all having a wonderful day so far! Are you ready for another day of learning?” 

The rest of the class were happy to reply. “Yes, Ms. Kuon!” 

Seiko was the only one too stunned to say anything back.


End file.
